Mavs will play 48 conference games and 18 non-conference games during the regular season

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Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks goes up for a shot between Nick Collison #4 and Kevin Durant #35 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals during the 2011 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 25, 2011.

Sunday night the Dallas Mavericks take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in their first preseason game.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle described the team's Friday night scrimmage as a little "rag-tag" and anticipated working out some of the kinks on Saturday. "The good news is, as far as I know, everybody is still healthy," he said.

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Unfortunately that wasn't the case. Forwards Brian Cardinal and Brandan Wright didn't practice Saturday because of a stomach bug.

Cardinal, who was signed this week to his second year with the team, is expected to be ready for the exhibition game against the Thunder, but Wright's status was unknown.

Dirk Through the Years

Tip off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the American Airlines Center, then the Mavs will travel up I-35 to play the Thunder again on Tuesday.

While tonight's game is preseason play and doesn't really count, Kevin Durant and the Thunder come back to Dallas Jan. 2 for a rematch of the Western Conference Finals.

The event Mavs fans have been waiting for comes Dec. 25. The Mavericks will raise their 2011 NBA Championship banner up into the rafters before they play the Miami Heat in an NBA Finals rematch at 1:30 p.m. at the AAC on Christmas day.